This is an authentic Hadeeth which is found in many of the books of Hadeeth such as Sunan At-Tirmidhi, Saheeh Ibn Hibbaan, Sunan An-Nasaa’ee, Sunan Ibn Maajah, the Musnad of Imaam Ahmad Rahimahullaah, Al-Mustadrak of Imaam Al-Haakim Rahimahullaah etc.

Now while many of the narrations contain a weakness or two in their chains, there are many others that are quite authentic.

Imaam Ahmad Rahimahullaah reports in his Musnad: “Sa`eed Ibn Wahb said: “`Ali (Radhiallaahu `Anhu) beseeched the people, so five or six of the Companions of Nabi Sallallaahu `Alayhi Wa Sallam stood up and bore witness that Rasoolullaah Sallallaahu `Alayhi Wa Sallam said: “Whoever I am a master Mawla (master/supporter) for, then `Ali (Radhiallaahu `Anhu) is his Mawla.”[ii]

Imaam Ibn Hajar Al-`Asqalaany Rahimahullaah says in Fathul Baari:

“As for the Hadeeth: “Whoever I am a Mawla (master/supporter) for, then `Ali (Radhiallaahu `Anhu) is his Mawla.” It has been reported by At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasaa’ee and it has many chains (of narration), Ibn `Uqdah has encompassed them in a specialised book, and many of its chains are Saheeh (authentic) and Hasan (sound).”[iii]

Imaam Al-`Ajloony Rahimahullaah says in Kashful Khafaa:

“Whoever I am a Mawla (master/supporter) for, then `Ali (Radhiallaahu `Anhu) is his Mawla.” Reported by At-Tabaraani and Ahmad and Ad-Dhiyaa (Al-Maqdisee) in Al-Mukhtaarah from Zayd Ibn Arqam, `Alii and thirty of the Sahaabah with the (additional) words “O Allaah befriend those who befriend him, and be the enemy of those who take him as an enemy.” So the Hadeeth is (either) Mutawaatir (related through continuous mass transmission) or Mash’hoor (well known).” [iv]

So the Hadeeth is authentic and the problem lies not in the Hadeeth itself, the problem lies in people like the shia who try to misinterpret this Hadeeth to suit their false beliefs, whereby they try to raise Hadhrat `Ali Radhiallaahu `Anhu just about to the level of a Nabi, and claim that Hadhrat `Ali Radhiallaahu `Anhu has more virtue than Hadhrat Abu Bakr Radhiallaahu `Anhu and that the Khilaafah actually belonged to him etc, but these are all false lies.

In fact on the point of the virtue of Hadhrat Abu Bakr Radhiallaahu `Anhu over Hadhrat `Ali Radhiallaahu `Anhu and the other Sahaabah, Imaam Ibn Taymiyyah Rahimahullaah has a detailed discussion regarding it in his Al-Fataawaa Al-Kubraa, and he mentions therein that there is Ijmaa` (consensus) on the fact that Hadhrat Abu Bakr Radhiallaahu `Anhu is the most virtuous, then Hadhrat `Umar Radhiallaahu `Anhu, then Hadhrat `Uthmaan Radhiallaahu `Anhu, then Hadhrat `Ali Radhiallaahu `Anhu.

Imaam Ibn Taymiyyah Rahimahullaah says: “All praise is due to Allaah, as for the virtue of Abu Bakr and `Umar over `Uthmaan and `Ali, then this is something which is agreed upon by the Muslim scholars who are well known for their leadership in knowledge and piety, from the Sahaabah and the Taabi`een and those who followed them, and it is the belief of (Imaam) Maalik and the people of Madeenah, and of Layth Ibn Sa`d and the people of Egypt, and of Al-Awzaa`ee and the people of the Levant, and of Sufyaan Ath-Thawri, Abu Haneefah, Hammaad Ibn Zayd, Hammaad Ibn Salamah and their likenesses from the people of `Iraaq.

It is (also) the belief of (Imaam) Ash-Shaafi`i, (Imaam) Ahmad, Is’haaq (Ibn Raahawayh), and Abu `Ubayd and others besides them from the scholars of Islaam who have a truthful tongue for the Ummah.

And (Imaam) Maalik has narrated consensus from the people of Madeenah on that and said: “I have not found anyone that I follow that doubts the precedence of Abu Bakr and `Umar (Radhiallaahu `Anhum).”[v]

Likewise whatever other claims the shia try to make using this Hadeeth as proof, then it is just as far removed from the reality.

”….. The Messenger of Allah (saw) gave a
sermon and again repeated that he is going
to leave two heavy things among the
Ummah. The Book of Allah (swt) and his
Ahlulbayt (a.s), his Progeny. At the end
of it, he appointed Imam Alee (a.s) as his
successor and asked the Muslims: “Have I
____________
not more authority over you than you on
_______________________________________________
your own?” The Muslims replied: ‘Yes! O
Messenger of Allah.’ Then the Prophet
(saw) said: “Whomever I am his Master,
then Alee (saw) is his Master.”

Well perhaps there may have been something in that, if I was a shia and didn’t know arabic, but fortunately i’m not a shia and i do happen to know arabic.

The first two narrations are no support for the shia, it’s the same as the hadeeth in the original fatwaa. There is not one authentic hadeeth that is explicit that the shia can use, if they have something authentic then it’s not explicit, and if it’s explcit then it’s not authentic.

As for the false quote above which is supposedly from al bidaayah wan nihaayah, the actual arabic is:

It’s not even a question worth entertaining, because they are yet to prove how being called a mawla somehow equates to their kufr beliefs, or how in any way it implies that hadhrat `ali was to become the leader after Rasoolullaah Sallallaahu `alayhi Wa Sallam.

Because had that been the intended meaning, then it would have meant that he became the leader from that very moment, not only something that will still happen in the future.